The pictures of Alain and Michèle’s villa on the Homeaway website show a magnificent view across a dreamy infinity pool and lush foliage to misty hills beyond - and the reality doesn’t disappoint. Couple this with a nice little town a 20-minute walk away (market, grocers, bars and restaurants), the seaside a 25-minute drive away, and friendly and communicative hosts, and Villa Balou amply ticked all our boxes. The billiard table, pool inflatables, BBQ and pool house, and all the linen we wanted, including beach towels, were extra bonusses. The house made a great base from which to visit the hillside towns of Grimaud and Vence, see and be seen in St Tropez (a short boat ride from St Maxime), discover the perfume industry at Grasse and lounge on the beaches of St Maxime and St Aygulf. After a busy day out, villa Balou provided us with a blissful air-conditioned refuge. And oh that pool! Long enough at 11 metres for a proper swim, safety cover for the 4-year-old in our party, and no chlorine or salt to irritate the eyes. All gorgeous. We had a really wonderful holiday and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this lovely villa. ‘Ici c’est le paradis’ reads a little signpost on the drive. I have to say we agreed.

We spent a wonderful 2 weeks here with our 3 young children. Our prerequisites were to have a villa with a large pool, air conditioning in all bedrooms and within walking distance to a village. The house ticked all these boxes and more. The pool is wonderful, very large and the perfect temperature and the garden is stunning. The house itself is very well equipped with everything you could possibly need in the kitchen, and more! The rooms all lead out on to the garden and face south so are beautifully bright and there are lots of spots inside and out to eat, relax, play games etc. The layout works perfectly for family life and being all on one level it's safe for young children. The village is a 15 minute walk (at the children's pace) and has everything you could need. We shopped at the Carrefour in Sainte Maxime but topped up at the village store. There are also some very good restaurants and if you can't manage / be bothered to walk there's a large car park. All in all we had a wonderful holiday in Villa Balou, it's a slice of paradise with plenty to see and do nearby and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Thank you Alain and Michele for your kind hospitality.

Paradise is the perfect word for this villa. A beautiful villa that is both close to civilisation while being very private. We were two families with children and there was plenty of room for us. The pool (recently renovated) is superb and the garden has a lovely aspect and view. There is also a great covered outdoor cooking and eating area where we spent a large part of our time. If you feel the need to leave the villa you are easy walking distance from Plan de la Tour, a small village but which has a selection of bakeries, restaurants and small grocery stores. Plan de la Tour is also well located being 10 minutes drive to Ste Maxime (which has many restaurants and supermarkets as well as the ferry to St Tropez). You are also on the inland route to both St Tropez and Grimaud/Cogolin so you can avoid the traffic jams on the coastal route. The villa itself is well equipped with everything you would expect as well as having plenty of space both inside and out. Michele and Alain were most hospitable, easy to deal with and the communication was excellent. Highly recommended! We wish we could go there more often!

Paradise is the best word I can use to describe our time at this beautiful property. All of our creature comforts were well taken care of but it was the sense of peace and well being that we experienced almost from the first few mins there that made it such a lovely experience. The beautiful mountain views we enjoyed while having coffee on the patio (made in 1 of the 2 excellent coffee makers in the very well equipped kitchen) were a wonderful way to start the day before the kids woke up and jumped straight into the pool. The village nearby has some great restaurants that are very family friendly. There is also a traditional French market on Thursdays which we really enjoyed. Whilst the property is very private and feels like it is off the beaten track it is no distance to St Maxime, St Tropez and many others. Everything is well signposted so getting around is not difficult. This is a five star property that I would have no hestiation recommending to anyone. I hope you enjoy is as much as we did.

We have spent our holidays in Ste. Maxime for a number of years renting a variety of properties. This villa is first class and in a good, accessible location, though far enough out to avoid the noise and traffic. It is also well appointed and as we like to prepare meals for ourselves, it was so nice to have reliable, quality equipment to work with. Dealing with the owner was easy and friendly.

Our group of 8 (four couples)stayed at the villa the last week in May, 2011. The Villa is very private and little difficult to find, however, with the owners excellent directions the challenge was worth it. We loved the property. The description was very accurate and the photos were exactly as we found the Villa. There was more than enough room for all of us. The Villa's location allowed us to do day trips to Nice, Monte Carlo, Nimes and of course Saint Tropez by ferry. It was great to come back to the villa for a swim and a BBQ each evening. We would definitely recommended this property, Michael, the owner was very helpful and Vincent checked in with us to ensure that everything was ok.

We - my husband and I and our adult off-spring - rented this property in June 2009 to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful. The house has all you could possible want and everything - both inside and out - worked perfectly. The village is great with excellent restaurants and a good market on Thurs. There's a huge Carrefour supermarket 10 mins drive away and the beach at St. Maxime is about 20 drive. The ferry across to St. Tropez is brilliant. We will definitely be going back.

I have stayed in this Villa on two occasions and hope to do so again in the near future. It is beautifully laid out and presented, extremely private, yet close to the amenities in the village of Plan de la Tour. The fittings in the Villa are very high quality and although it is large and spacious, it is very easy to maintain. The pool and play areas are safe and suitable for children of all ages. The girls loved taking the ferry to the markets in St Tropez and we all enjoyed dining in both Plan de la Tour and Saint Maxime. There is lots to do and see in the surrounding countryside. Highly recommended.